Lethal Secrets
by Arcane Jester
Summary: Daphne and Batman are kidnapped. Two criminals have a very dangerous plan in mind. Terry and Daphne have to bring it down from the inside, while Bruce and some old friends fight it from the outside.
1. Daphne's Revenge

**Lethal Secrets**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Batman, Bruce, the jokerz or anybody/anything else DC or Warner Bruce or anybody else owns. All I own is Daphne, Jake, Sara and the other characters I will make up. Poor me…**

**Author's Note:**

**_Stress_ 'Thought' "Speech"**

**I appreciate reviews and welcome criticism. **

**Friday, 13 February, 2041**

**5:10 pm – Gotham - Daphne's P.O.V**

I had quit sector 15 three months ago. I had left it never to return. After I had found out that my boss – head of theFBI branch in Gotham – was a serial killer, I told the proper authorities. They didn't take action fast enough and he escaped. After that, I decided not to trust anyone at the sector except for my secretary, Sara, and my brother, Jake.

When I left the agency, I knew what I was leaving behind. The challenging adventures, the smart traps, the fighting courses and putting my life at risk to save an innocent kid stuck in The Jokers' Territory. Sometimes I would wonder if I did it for the fun of kicking bad guys or because I wanted to walk around the city without seeing dead bodies at every corner or if it was purely out of revenge…

Things were getting worse in Gotham. An old yet extremely resourceful criminal, known only as The Assassin, was back in town with at least a hundred followers. He was planning something big. That was for sure. But till then, he hadn't made a move. That wasn't all. Apparently, The Joker had a nephew who had come to lead The Jokers and dozens of pickpockets, thieves and murderers to taking over Gotham then demanding a large ransom from the government. Despite Batman's attempts, The Jokers had taken over the Western side and the poor neighborhoods beyond Gotham Bridge. They had marked their territory well with dead bodies on the sidewalks. The police couldn't help much with the jokers since they were too busy protecting the mayor and senior Gotham officials from random attacks. My agency, as I hear from Sara, is of little assistance since it's got its hands full with the internal disturbances. Ever since my ex-boss – Sanlan - was exposed, things were going haywire in Sector 15. The police wanted to get national help, but the mayor insisted it was not a problem his trusty boys in blue couldn't handle. My theory is that someone threatened him…

The situation reminded me of that of "No man's land" more than 40 years ago. Not that I actually witnessed it. It's just that I studied it in history around a zillion times at school. I'm so glad I'm in university now.

Well, back to the point. Even though I had left the sector, I couldn't stand back and do nothing. I considered it my duty to keep Gotham's streets corpse-free. Sometimes I would patrol the city at night riding my trusty Hoover cycle. Other times, I'd sneak into the enemies' hideouts; activate a couple of my old spy devices then go home to watch their activities while drinking hot cocoa. I would always wear a long black coat with the hood up. No one would even think twice about me being a normal pedestrian protecting herself from the harsh winter winds.

I looked out the window and saw a snowball shatter into pieces on the glass. I looked down and saw a couple of kids playing outside and laughing, ignorant to what was happening to their beloved city. The sound of their happy laughter got me strolling down memory lane. Back to when mom and dad were agents. Back to when I was twelve and they used to take Jake and me out to play in the snow, before they were murdered. They were found besides each other. Both were shot in the chest but by different laser guns, probably by different gunmen. They were in an orphanage when it happened. And they weren't the only victims. It seemed like a massacre had happened there. I'm sure, now –since they were shot in the front and not back- , that they had entered to stop it from happening, but they were outnumbered. I remembered that day clearly. There were so few officers at the crime scene it surprised me. The only two agents there were Margaret, my Mom's best friend and Dennis, my Dad's best friend. They were also brother and sister which made the whole situation more suspicious. When Jake and I entered the building I remember passing by so many bodies until we reached our parents'. I had been stunned by the news, and even when I saw them on the floor lying so still, I refused to believe that they were dead. At one point, I started hallucinating and thought I saw my father blink. I wasn't allowed to go near them despite my pleas. Jake just stood at the doorway with no color left in his face. We only stayed for a couple of moments, and then we were ushered out.

Five years have passed now since that horrible day. Now I knew who did it and he was going to pay. I had walked in on Sanlan, around three months ago, stabbing a girl in the throat. All the victims at the orphanage – other than my parents - fit the same description: 17-year-old orphan girls, all found at their homes with a pocket knife sticking out of their throats.

I had joined the sector three years ago with my big brother. I was fourteen then, but the agency made an exception. I had undergone many of their intellectual tests and had scored the ninth in all of their history. It was only then that I was told that my parents had been in that sector. They scored third and fourth on the list.

I didn't tell Jake about Sanlan. Actually, I hadn't seen my brother for three months, ever since he had gone on yet another mission. I spoke to him every week, though. It was his 23 birthday yesterday. I can't believe I had forgotten. 'Maybe I'll call him when I come back…'

Another snowball went SPLAT on my window. It was growing darker outside. The mothers were ushering their kids away. These days, the streets were empty at night. Everybody stayed at home, hoping that no one carrying a laser gun enters their shelter. In a few minutes I'd be on my way to Sanlan's hide-out. I wanted revenge. I _needed_ revenge. I had been planning this for days, ever since I found out that Sanlan was plotting against the people of Gotham in alliance with The Assassin. I saw him meet The Assassin on one of the spy videos. Then I followed him to his hide-out. I had to be careful. I knew he was more experienced than me in the stealth area. I had to fight the urge to shoot him in the back and kill him there and then. I wasn't prepared then, but today I was.

I put on my coat, pulled the hood down and headed for the door. I stopped when I heard a familiar clicking right outside the door. 'A timed bomb?' I asked myself. 'No. It isn't synchronized'. Then it hit me. Someone was picking the lock. I backed-up a couple of steps. 'I don't have time for thieves now' I thought.

The door opened and in entered the last person I expected. Sanlan. 'But how does he know where I live now?' He wasn't alone. There were three others crammed in the doorway. I recognized two of them as The Assassin's followers from the video. Each one of the three was carrying an antique weapon from the early 2000s. Pistols.

At first Sanlan just stared and smiled at my shocked look. When he finally spoke up, he said with a sneer: "I've been keeping an eye on you too, Daphne… A word of advice: next time make sure you don't write all your plans in your journal... But then again… there won't be a next time… You honestly don't think I'll let you destroy all my hard work now do you?" He held up a small leather book. My diary.

I wanted to say something. Anything that would prove that I wasn't afraid of him. I couldn't find the words. Instead, I grabbed Sanlan by the neck, held him close then I pulled out my laser gun and put it at his temple. I had pulled him in front of me as a shield in case one of The Assassin's followers decided to take a shot at me. "You're not going to pull the trigger." Sanlan said as if he were still my boss.

"I think I will" I retorted. I tightened my grip on the laser gun, but I couldn't get myself to pull the trigger. I couldn't shoot. I wanted him dead but I didn't want his blood on my hands. He did deserve to be executed and as much as I wanted to revenge my parents, I just couldn't do it. I'd never thought about that before. But he was right… I couldn't kill him. 'Maybe I can show Commissioner Barbra Gordon the facts and get her to execute him. But I'll have to kidnap him first' Then, a ridiculous thought came to my mind, 'Too bad he's not a kid'. It was going to be hard, kidnapping him. There wasn't another door to the house. And if I took him through the window, I'd momentarily be an easy target for The Assassin's followers. 'Can I bluff? Threaten to kill Sanlan unless they backed away? Will they fall for it? Is there a better way?' A thousand questions crossed my mind. Sanlan took advantage of my hesitation. He took out a pocket knife, broke loose from my grip and high-kicked my laser gun away. I heard it clank against the bare floor behind me. Then, he grabbed me by the waist, flipped open the knife and held it to my gulping throat. He held me so strongly I could barely breathe let alone move. I felt so helpless…

"I haven't done this in a long time." Sanlan said. "I thought you were smarter. 17-year-old-girl, no parents…Boo Hoo"

I tried to growl at his followers. It was all I could do since he was behind me. But it didn't even come out since I was out of air.

**Batman's P.O.V**

I peered through the frosty window. I could see a big bald man's back and a couple of guys with old pistols. I could hear the bald man saying,

"Heh heh heh... Give it up, Daphne..."

"In your ... dreams! Awww!"

"Say goodbye Agent Maller."

"Don't … ever … call me … Agent!" said somebody I couldn't see between gasps of air.

'Time for my entrance'. I activated a bat bomb and through it at the window. Pieces of glass shattered in front of me. I flew in using my jetboots. I loved that part of the job.

It would be easy. Throwing a couple of batarangs at the pistols would do the job, I thought. Unfortunately I was wrong. The bald man turned to face me holding a girl. He had a pocket knife to her neck. I couldn't see her eyes, since they were covered by her hood, but I could tell that she wasn't afraid. 'Weird'. She also looked kind of familiar even with half her face hidden. "Boys... kill the rodent" Said baldy.

The goons leveled their pistols at me. I threw three battarangs at the men's' wrists. They all dropped their pistols and ran out the door. 'Yippee'. Unfortunately I was wrong again. They were replaced by half a dozen goons.

"Wait!" said the girl, "This is between you and me, Sanlan. Let Batman go." Her voice was dripping with hatred. But what bothered me was the fact that she was acting like _I _was the helpless damsel in distress and _she_ was the hero. Sanlan opened his mouth to reply. Bad move. The girl, Daphne, if I heard right, turned quickly, freed herself of her capture and directed a hard hawk punch at him. And while he was recovering, she pulled the pocket knife out of his hand and threw it out the window. Then, she dove for a laser gun on the floor I hadn't noticed before. She was fast but Sanlan was faster. He Karate-chopped her hand and grabbed the laser gun. The goons were aiming their guns at her. I jumped up and kicked two of them with my hard jet boots. They dropped down unconscious. I dropped to the floor and pulled the welcome mat from under another's feet. He fell on his head. I stole a glance at Daph. She was fighting Sanlan furiously. But he blocked her every attempt easily. I turned back to the goons. 'Three down, three to go'. One was busy reloading. I took the other two by their collars and slammed their heads together. 'Ouch. That's gotta hurt'. Then, I let them sink to the floor. Last one. I punched him in the stomach and he doubled over.

I turned to Daph. She looked pretty beat up. I could see her eyes then. The hood had fallen back revealing her reddish black hair. One of her goldish-brown eyes was swollen shut. I was impressed by how fast baldy was. He grabbed her arm then threw her at the wall. She fell down unconscious. I couldn't do anything. When I finally got my senses back I decided to teach him a lesson. Too bad I never got around to that. I heard a click behind me and when I turned, a rifle came down hard on my head. I heard mocking laughter behind me. Then, everything went black…


	2. A Trip To Bludhaven

**Ravynne Nightshade****: Thanks so much for my first review ever! I'm glad you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Batman, Bruce, the jokerz or anybody/anything else DC or Warner Bruce or anybody else owns. All I own is Daphne, Jake, Sara and the other characters I will make up. Poor me…**

**Author's Note:**

**_Stress_ 'Thought' "Speech"**

**I appreciate reviews and welcome criticism. **

**6:07 pm – Gotham:**

Terry and Daphne had been out cold for almost five minutes. Through the video link, Bruce saw the criminals open Daphne's mouth roughly and poor in a blue liquid. Then, they moved closer to Terry and poured the same liquid down his throat through the mouth hole in his mask. Droplets of the liquid fell onto the batsuit. And through the main controls, Bruce analyzed these droplets. It was a drug to put them to sleep for three and a half to four hours; judging by the dosage they were given.

The former batman watched as a tall man in his sixties entered. Despite his age, he looked fit and sharp. He was wearing tinted glasses reflecting what was happening behind Terry. Bruce had to enlarge the seen a couple of times to see the seen reflected by the glasses, but he also made sure he had the tall man's face in view.

"Not a bad day's catch, is it boys." said thenewcomer smiling.

"I knocked the bat out myself" said a broad-shouldered blonde man with a childish voice behind Terry.

"Yes… very good Bruno"

The bald man, Sanlan, stepped over Terry's limp body. Then, he shook the tall man's hand. They were both grinning like they had just won a prize. "So how about this? We get that meddling little Daphne _and_ the bat!" said Sanlan "So, what do you think we should do now?"

"I don't know Sanlan… but I do know you don't kill your victims when they're unconscious, so you might have to wait for four hours or so. I hope that doesn't ruin anything for you."

"No, no, my friend. Not at all. This agent is special. I thought of putting the pocket knife in her throat, but you know how I like a nice scared face on my precious victims. Unfortunately, Agent Daphne doesn't remember how to make a scared face. So I changed my mind and thought we might as well do her a favor and teach her how to do that as soon as she wakes up. And I've got just the thing in mind. Remember that maze of yours?"

"Great idea … And I'm dying to know who the bat is, but you know how I love a good mystery… Then… I can let the whole community know that I, The Assassin, have caught the bat alive…" He looked up at the ceiling dreamily but then his expression disappeared and he looked stressed "But we have more urgent business now… Imagine the headlines tomorrow, Sanlan… "

Relieved that the criminals weren't going to harm Terry and Daphne for that time-being, Bruce did a character search on The Assassin, Sanlan and Bruno. What he found took him to Bludhaven on the 10 minute subway train. But before he left, he made sure he was recording what was happening through the video link.

**6:21 pm – Tokyo – Jake's P.O.V:**

I tried calling my sister on her mobile and at home, but my attempts were fruitless. 'She must be at the sector' I thought. So I dialed Daphne's office. On the third ring her secretary picked up.

"Hello" she said in a sleepy voice

"Hi Sara, can I talk to Daph"

"Didn't she tell you that- um … nothing. Umm… she's at the … the chocolate store!" The young secretary said with so much enthusiasm, I wondered what was so interesting in a chocolate store.

"Um … Okay… Can you tell her that my plans have changed and that I'll reach Gotham in one and a half hours or so?"

"Sure, I'll tell her. Have a nice trip"

"Thanks"

**6:35 pm – Bludhaven:**

Bruce walked slowly, but deliberately down the long well-lit corridor. When he reached the last apartment on the right, he drew-in a deep breath and finally found the courage to knock on the door. A muscular man in his mid 50's opened it. He was around 5'10 and had black hair with a couple of grey ones. His eyes were a deep ocean blue. The man was wearing blue jeans and a plain black T-shirt. When the two met each other's eyes, Bruce found the carvings on his cane extremely interesting and the other man looked down at his navy blue carpet. After a couple of uncomfortable minutes, Bruce looked up and broke the silence, "Dick…"

"You can come in, Bruce" Dick replied, but his eyes were still glued to the floor. He led the way to the living room and took a seat across the older man. Again, there was an awkward silence. Then, Bruce finally said, "So… how have you been, Dick?"

It had been almost seven years since they had last talked, so Bruce expected the distance and animosity. But, even so, Dick's retort shook him.

"We both know you didn't come here to patch things up, Bruce. So just cut to the chase, will ya? Why did you come to Bludhaven?"

"Dick I- Gotham needs your help again."

"Look Bruce," Dick finally managed to look him in the eye, "my days as a masked vigilante are over." He stood up and started balling and un-balling his fists at his sides trying feebly to control his anger." And they've been over ever since- they've been over for five years now, Bruce. Five years! I'm not going down that road again!"

Bruce smiled and thought that this older version of Dick was almost as hot-headed as the teenage one he had worked with for years. But his smile melted as soon as he realized it used to be him who wanted Dick off the streets while Dick wanted to be part of his night life. But now, everything had changed… Bruce got up from his chair and, although he was leaning on his cane, Dick could feel his unmistakable authority. Then, Bruce put his free hand on Dick's shoulder and said softly, "It's up to you, Dick. But I'm pretty sure you'd want to involve yourself in this one" Bruce raised his hand as soon as Dick opened his mouth to interrupt. Again, that gesture of superiority bothered Dick. But he kept quite.

"It's about your ex- partner at Bludhaven Police Department, Robert Brown. He calls himself The Assassin and he's in Gotham now planning for something. I've got a couple of clues, but I need your help to put the pieces together, since you're more familiar with his background. It also seems like he's very popular with the small-time criminals, and he has at least seventy or eighty henchmen working for him now."

"Well, I'm sure the Gotham police can take care of it with the help of this new bat I've been reading about in the papers!"

"It's much deeper than you think Dick… and … your niece… Daphne, is involved"

"What! Daphne! … Wait a minute… Bruce… how did you know about…?"

"I'll explain on the train back to Gotham… If you _do_ decide to come?"


	3. The Betrayal

**Disclaimer: I still don't own them. I wish I did, but I don't…**

**Please let me know what you think of my story**

**To ****Fireinu****: I'm glad you like it!**

**6:27 pm – Gotham (Daphne and Jake's house)**

Sanlan was sitting on the armchair inches away from Daphne's unconscious figure. He was reading her diary with an intense look on his face. He was so engrossed in it that when his mobile rang he was momentarily startled and stood up suddenly, allowing the diary to slide off his lap and onto the bare floor.

"This is Sanlan"

"Sanlan… We've got a teeny weeny little problem"

"How teeny?" He asked grimly

"You remember Jake right?"

"Of course… But he's in Tokyo"

"Not for long. His plans have changed and he'll be reaching in a couple of hours…I just wanted to give you the heads-up so you can throw out the body or whatever… "

"There won't be a body now… There will be two! But I want to torture them first." He stood up and started pacing the room wearing an evil dreamy look. "Make them suffer. Make them plead- No… Make them _beg_ me"

"Ooookay… um… what are you talking about?"

"I'll tell you when I get back to the layer, Sara"

"Okay… But what about Jake, he might get too snoopy"

"Well… I could have just a _little_ fun today. Nothing fancy; that would take too much time. But it still has to be classy…"

**7:45 pm – Gotham**

As soon as the jet landed, Jake tried calling his sister again, but it was no use. He took a hover taxi home. After paying the driver generously, Jake walked up the driveway and saw a car parked nearby which, he thought, was strange, considering that he lived in an almost completely deserted place a couple of miles out of town. He told himself not to get paranoid, and disregarded this. So, he walked on and found the door unlocked. Entering the sitting room, he saw it was trashed. The couch was turned over. The blue flower vase, usually on the metal safe, lay on the floor in pieces. And sticking out from underneath the battered armchair was Daphne's leather diary. Despite being the messy queen of klutzes she was, Jake knew his sister would never leave her diary lying around like that.

"Daphne" Jake called out. No answer. A frown creased his handsome features. He searched the rest of the house, but found nothing. Then, he returned to the sitting room and remembered the diary. He picked it up, flipped it open and read the first page that appeared:

21th December 2041

Today I have resigned from sector 15. It was unbelievably difficult for me to do so. But I have more pressing matters to take care of now. I have to hunt Sanlan down. Hunt him and make him pay for all the sorrow he has caused. For all the sick crimes he has committed. He will pay. And he will pay my way. The ruthlessness he has shown to mommy and daddy and all the other innocent victims will be matched by my own. I will-

Jake was distracted by a commotion outside. It sounded like someone had dropped something heavy. There were footsteps thudding on the pavement outside and they were coming closer. Jake, still clutching his sister's diary, ducked behind the overturned couch just in time. The door opened revealing a plump yet muscular man with lime hair. The intruder entered with what looked like a grey box. Jake considered confronting him, but he was too curious and afraid of loosing all chances of knowing who that guy was and what he was doing there. The lime-head put the box in the middle of the room and left. Jake didn't move until he heard a hover car turned on. When he examined the box, he saw that it was made of metal from all the sides except for the top which was made of glass. He was sure it was glass and not transparent plastic because of the texture of the small scratched he found on top. Jake found this use of glass rather weird, since it was rather expensive those days. There were green numbers flashing on the left side of the box: 00:01:20 …. 00:01:19…. 00:01:18… It was a bomb, Jake realized. He couldn't run away since his hover car was in the workshop, and there was no way he could find a driver fast enough were he lived. His house was the only place around for miles, so he couldn't ask for help. He thought of calling the sector, but they wouldn't be able to reach fast enough. He couldn't even ask them how to diffuse the bomb because it looked like an old fashion one and that would take at least five minutes to study… Jake was down to one last option… Diffusing the bomb himself. He was not very good at diffusing bombs, but he had some experience that might have come in handy.

Although it was rather old technology, it seemed simple enough. Through the glass top, Jake could see two liquids. One was a greenish brown and the other was a pale orange. The liquids were separated by a partition that was connected to a hinge. 'Okay… I can't let the two liquids touch' Jake thought, 'but how? Ripping off the wrong wire could make it worse'

Judging by the size of the bomb, Jake was sure the blast would cover at least three quarters of a mile. He only had one other idea and not much more hope or time in case it failed.

_00:00:35… 00:00:34…00:00:33…_

He had no other choice but to try it…

A couple of seconds later, the house burst into rising flames. The sound of the explosion sent several sleeping sparrows on nearby trees flying off into the deep black sky…


	4. The Return of a Legend

**Disclaimer: Not mine! Not mine! Not mine. sobs>**

**Author's note: First of all, I am sooo sorry for the delay in the update. I just kinda got into a couple of time-crunch periods. Reeeeaaally sorry. As for the next chapter, I've already written part of it, but I'd like to get a couple of more reviews before posting it.**

**7:34 - Batcave - Bruce's P.O.V.**

Dick and I were walking down the manor's hallway leading to the batcave… Things hadn't gone too well between us since we left Bludhaven. Dick had asked me how I knew about his sister and her kids on the train. At first, I was reluctant to tell him. So I tried ignoring the question. But as always with Dick, that didn't work… I told him that when I was tracking down a couple of drug dealers, nearly a decade ago, I saw his name on the subway passenger list to Gotham. I was curious, and since Dick never visited me or Barbra anymore, I decided to keep a tab on him. It turned out that Dick actually came to Gotham quite often – at least once every three months. On one such day, curiosity pushed me into following him. That is when I finally found out about his other family. After that, finding out the history wasn't too difficult. It was quite clear in one of Dick's conversations with his sister that she had been kidnapped at a tender age, long before I met Dick. His family searched for her for many years, and Dick never gave up that search, even after his parents' tragic deaths… He made sure he kept that a secret from me even after all we've been through together as the Caped Crusaders, although I have no idea why he would do such a thing…Anyway, after he moved to Bludhaven, he found her. A couple of years later, she got married and settled down in Gotham.

When I told Dick about my… source, I knew he disapproved and considered it spying. He didn't say anything though, which is most unlike him, but his silence spoke volumes. And he managed to maintain that code of silence even as we descended the batcave stairs.

I felt Dick tense as we passed his old suit, but he said nothing… As soon as we took our seats, in silence, in front of the batcomputer, I tried to play what the computer had recorded in my absence. But it seemed that Terry's video link had been tampered with shortly after I left. And the small footage that the computer had recorded contained nothing important. So, I tried contacting Terry through the radio but found no reply. That worried me somewhat, but then I realized he was probably still unconscious, wherever he was…

I turned to Dick and knew, from his expression, that there was no need for me to speak my mind. He knew what had to be done. It was time for him to don his cape once again for a little old time detective work…

8:02 - Maller's Residence - Jake's P.O.V

The blast sent me sprawling into a bare oak tree. That took a lot out of me. I hit the tree pretty bad and was immobile for a couple of seconds with my face muffled in the snow. But those seconds seamed like decades; I couldn't breathe… As soon as the slightest bit of feeling returned to my limbs, it took me all the strength I could muster to turn my body so that I could lie on my back. My lungs burnt with every screeching gasp I took. It seemed like forever until my breathing steadied a bit. When I managed to pull myself to my full height, leaning on the oak tree for support, I was surprised to find Daph's diary still clutched tightly in my left hand…It was evident that my right arm had absorbed most of the shock judging by the ripped jacket and the swollen elbow underneath. I tried flexing the right arm and bending the elbow, but it was simply too painful to move. 'Great! Just great!… If I ever have to use my laser tonight it'll be a total disaster' I thought; I was right handed and completely useless with my left. I limped forward since my left ankle somehow got sprained. Glancing back at our house, I saw that it had become nothing but ashes and dying flames… A couple of trees around it were scorched, too. I continued to walk away from that horrible scene with no direction whatsoever…

I had absolutely no idea what to do. I couldn't contact the sector, for Sanlan could have tapped into the phone lines there and the GCPD would be of no use in such a situation. But maybe Uncle Dick could help…? He was a prize winning detective in Bludhaven. I saw him work on a BCPD case before when we were visiting, and he was simply – I could find no other word – amazing… When I asked him who he learned it all from, he just answered mysteriously, "The best…". 'Yes. Uncle Dick can definitely help' I thought. So, with my left hand, I carefully put Daph's Dairy in my pocket and pulled out my cell. Dialing uncle's number with my left was a difficult task and I kept pressing the wrong numbers.

I heard a loud blast and dropped my sizzling mobile. I looked up and saw the bomber with a 280G-laser. He was a head taller than me and had string blond hair and a turned up nose. The street light wasn't bright enough to be able to see his eyes clearly, but something told me they were an icy blue matching the rest of his stony face. He was also chewing a gum, making sure he stretched his jaws to their fullest capacity while doing so, imitating a hungry cow. This chubby bomber was only nine or ten feet away from me, his laser was at the ready and there was no way I could run, let alone fight, in the condition I was in…

For some strange reason, I had to fight the urge to laugh out loud. I guess the fear had driven me to hysteria as the grinning man raised the laser to my chest-level.

"Now, How 'bout ya tell me wha' happened in there? Da boss designed da bomb ta blow up everyting in a square mile." He said in a half-Irish, half-gangster accent, moving his gun in a threatening way while doing so.

"You're gonna kill me anyway, so why should I bother telling you?"

He smirked and lazily replied, "Cause da boss's go' yer li'l sissy"

"Where is she! What have you done to her!"

"Calm down, boy" he mocked, "she's OK… fer now a'least."

He gave me a testing yellow grin and continued, "Listen boy. I know yer 'fraid ta die, even if I can't read it in yer eyes. An' if ya tell me how ya did it, I'll give ya a thirty-second head start."

I couldn't argue with the fact that I was shivering from more than just the cold. I had never felt so…weak? His offer was too demeaning. He wanted me to run like a chicken then be slaughtered… But he was giving me time. And that meant time to execute a plan. But first, I had to keep him talking to come up with one.

"Fine. I changed the range of the blast"

"Explain", he demanded.

'There is a small laser M220 I once hid in a hole in the tree to my right.' I thought.

"I noticed that the top cover of your bomb was glass, which is pretty expensive these days, and only a bomber who thinks of his work as an artistic masterpiece would use it."

I slowly inched towards the next tree.

"Freeze", the bomber yelled.

'Think. Think. Think' I ordered myself.

"My ankle is hurt. I need to sit down." I explained quickly.

"Heh heh… Fine. Not dat it makes much of a difference anyway. You're dead boy."

I sighed inwardly in relief, limbed to the tree and gingerly seated myself against it.

"Continue boy"

"Well… From the way the wires were placed in plain sight, I could tell the bomb was put together in a hurry. So, the glass was definitely not put there just for decoration."

The hole was just above my right shoulder. I placed my left hand on that shoulder and rubbed it as if it were paining me.

"I knew the glass was there because the steel covering all the other sides of the bomb limited the range of that kind of explosion. The glass was installed to let the explosion out full scale from the side it was covering."

I furtively felt the bark behind me, searching for the gap. 'Aha! I found it.' I fingered the cold metal of the laser, still in the hole, and found the trigger. But, one problem still stood. I couldn't even shoot an elephant with my left…

"The living room has- had a steel safe. I simply placed the bomb there and locked it. Then I ran out of the house. I couldn't stop the whole explosion as the safe had many tiny slits, but I limited it greatly nonetheless."

"Heh… Smart, boy. Real smart. Now let's see how dat brain of yers looks on dat tree" He smirked.

"How about my 30-second head start?"

" 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5678910 , 30. Times up boy!"

What happened after that seemed more like a dream. I pulled the gun out with my index on the trigger and before I knew it, the bomber was on the ground clutching his hand. And his laser was a couple of feet next to him. But I had not pulled the trigger and there was something sticking out from his wrist. It looked like a … metal bird?

I turned towards a crunching sound and saw a man in a black suit with a blue bird emblem in the front. He was also wearing a mask that ended at the bridge of his nose. As he walked over to the bomber, who was whimpering in pain, I could sense a confident yet tense air to him. He picked up the laser and pulled out the bird-like object from the bombers wrist; the wound it had caused didn't look too bad. Then the dark figure came over and gestured for me to hand over my laser too. I obeyed, still shocked by what had just happened.

"Are you OK kid?"

His question only registered with me after I asked, "Who are you?"

He offered me a toothy grin along with a hand to help me up and replied, "Nightwing"


	5. No Escape

Disclaimer: No, nobody bought Batman Beyond or any of its characters for me, and since I'm pretty much pennyless… No, I don't own them… Waaaahahaaa...

Author's Note: Wow! More than two months since my last update. You people must really want to hurt me if you like this fic. But I'll be safe right here behind Terry.

Terry (With bat in hand): Says who!

Me: AAAAAAH! This is too violent for you to watch... so _on with the story... _just one last AWWW thing, please review. OUCH!

Batman's P.O.V.

When I came around, I felt my hands securely tied together, behind my back, by coarse ropes, but the pain it caused was nothing compared to the pounding feeling at the back of my head… I blinked a couple of times to clear my blurred vision. The girl from earlier on was hanging next to me, still unconscious. 'What was her name? D-Darla? No… That can't be right… Da – Yes! Daphne'. Anyway, we were both hung upside down by our legs. Our feet were tied to a low bar extending from wall to wall a couple of feet below the ceiling. Beneath us was a pool, filled with some kind of clear liquid. The most peculiar aspect of the room, that I noticed right away, was that there were no ways out – No exits. No doors. No escape whatsoever, except for a small brown window in the ceiling…

The blood pumping into my head had started making me dizzy… I called out Daphne's name, but she barely stirred. So, I tried to pull myself upwards, towards the bar, with whatever upper–body strength I still possessed, but I kept failing miserably, mainly because of the fact that my hands were bound in such an uncomfortable way behind my back… More and more blood was rushing to my temples, making my eyes slightly unfocused. Then, suddenly, I heard a snigger to my left. I turned my head, only to meet an image of a chuckling baldy on a flat wall-screen.

"I see you're up, _Ratman!_", Sanlan said, chuckling at his own dry humor.

"What do you want? _Baldy_!" I retorted.

"Heh heh heh" He shook his head. "You know, rodent? I would love to stay and play, but you no how it is – duty first…! Aaah, look who decided to join us – sleeping beauty!"

I shifted my gaze to the girl next to me. She opened her eyes, but seemed a little dazed.

"I hope you two enjoy the game!"

"What… game?" Daphne asked weakly, "What are you playing at, Sanlan?"

For that, she was awarded with an annoying chuckle.

"What do you want!" I repeated for Daphne.

"Well, here's how it goes: Daphne, you're alive – for now anyway – because I want to see you terrified… scared out of your wits… genuinely afraid… As for you batman… well, you're a mystery. The Assassin over here", he gestured to someone I couldn't see on the screen, "thinks pulling your mask is just too easy. So, he wants to "keep" you here for a while, until we're finished with our… _project_. Then he can solve your case in peace, but until then, you will go through the fear course with Agent Maller."

"I am _no_ agent! Not anymore."

That earned her another chuckle, "Daphne. Daphne. Daphne. When will you ever learn? Once an agent, always an agent… Too bad I can't say the same about your brother, though. I don't think he's going to play "agent" any longer"

"What have you done to Jake! Answer me!" Daphne yelled, her honey-brown eyes flashing with rage.

"Heh heh heh… Jake go Ka-boom!" He said, gesturing with his hand like a wild explosion.

"No… LIAR! NO! Jake didn't die!"

"Would you like me to gather his itsy bitsy pieces and show them to you?" Sanlan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No. No. No" Daphne chanted softly, "No. He can't- He couldn't have – you're lying!"

"Whatever you say, _agent_… but I don't have time for this. Besides you have more pressing matters to attend to as well. Like that, for example" Sanlan pointed down, towards the pool of liquid.

The liquid level was rising, nearly overflowing the pool, which was fed by two taps I hadn't noticed before.

"Have fun, kids" were Sanlan's last words before his face disappeared and the screen turned black again. So did the "room" we were in. Darkness wrapped us for a couple of moments until a tube light, on the wall in front of me, nearly blinded me with its unnatural white light.

Daphne's P.O.V.

'This is all my fault…but Jake couldn't have died. Right?' I thought, 'Sanlan's probably just messing with my head to get me nervous…' Still, that didn't reassure me.

"Your brother's alive." Batman said.

As painful as it was, I turned to face him.

"How do _you_ know?"

"Br- Control just told me"

For a minute I thought he'd lost it, but then he added, "Through the radio link"

"Oh… Where is he? Where's Jake?"

He fell silent for a while then answered, "With … control"

I eyed him suspiciously. Ever since I found out about Sanlan, I stopped trusting people completely – except for Jake and Sara of course.

"Prove it. Make him say something only he knows"

"Fine", he listened intently to "control" then smirked. "You still suck your finger when you're sleeping… Jake says he's sorry, but he couldn't think of anything else."

It was only then that I felt relieved. Embarrassed, yes. _Very_ embarrassed, but relieved that Jake was OK.

"Wait… I thought Jake was in Tokyo…"

"Well, he isn't anymore. Now let's just get out of here."

Batman's P.O.V.

"Great idea, _Batboy_. Did it ever occur to you that we're tied-up, not to mention up-side down?" Daphne asked sarcastically.

Ignore her, I tried to release my metal fingertips – my claws – to cut the ropes, but the suit wasn't responding. Then I tried the batarangs. They didn't come out either.

'Weird' I thought, then explained the problem to Bruce.

"Sanlan and The Assassin must have tampered with the synaptic controls" Bruce responded.

"The cinnamon-what?"

"The receptors – the parts that connect your brain to the suit and control most of its functions"

"Great. Just great… So, half the suit is completely useless?"

"More than half"

Bruce's P.O.V.

I was in my old suit infront of the bat-computer. In it, I felt so… _empowered_… Nightwing had brought a blindfolded Jake to the cave. He knew nothing of our identities and I planned on keeping it that way. While Dick patched Jake up, I studied the charts for Terry's suit on the screen. A red light appeared near the ears, at the synaptic controls, confirming my suspicion. Then another red light appeared … and another… and another…

"Batman…" I said through the intercom, keeping our… guest in mind. It felt foreign to my lips, calling _him_ that. That was me… "They also sabotaged the video link and neural muscular amplificator"

"Huh?"

"The part that multiplies your strength"

"Well couldn't you just say _that_?... Is there _any_ good news?"

"The only parts that can function are the mics in your fingertips, the magnetic soles on your boots – but you'll have to activate them manually – and the belt"

Batman's P.O.V.

I craned my neck to look upwards. "Oh no…"

"What is it, Batman?" Bruce asked.

"The belt's gone"

Silence.

"Did you hear me? I said the -"

"I heard what you said… Listen, I can connect to the suit's charts, but I can't get a location – the coordinates are all wrong. Can you describe where you are?"

"Like _that_ would help! I'm locked-up in the room with a rising liquid five feet away from my head, which by the way, is where my feet are supposed to be, and-"

"I get the picture, Mc-Batman!" Bruce said frustrated, "I'm working on it"

"That sounds like a burger, you know?"

Of course, Bruce ignored that.

"I'm _working_ on it"

Daphne's P.O.V.

"Are you done talking to yourself?" I asked batman. I was starting to feel extremely irritated with all the blood flowing to my head.

"My suit's not working"

"We can worry about that later. Let's just get out of here first" While Batman was talking to control – and that looked as if he were a mad-man talking to himself – I tried pulling myself up, but all I could accomplish was reviving the wounds from my fight earlier with Sanlan...

"Fine. If you're such a big ginuess, Daphne, why don't you tell me how?"

"I thought _you_ were Batman"

"I thought _you_ were some kind of agent"

"I still am" 'I can't believe I just said that…'

Batman's P.O.V.

"All you can do right is suck your thumb!"

I had hit a nerve. I knew that was uncalled for, but, for some reason, she was beginning to annoy me even more than my little brother, Matt.  
Daphne flushed, "... Well, at least that's better than you. You...you can't do _anything_ right"  
"What! Do I look like a _complete_ idiot to you!"  
"Of course not" she said sweetly, then added, "Barely even half!"  
"Why you little - When I get my hands on-"  
"With your hands tied behind your back?"  
My focus was dragged back to our little… problem. The liquid, acid I guessed, had risen to less than four feet away from my head... Daphne's cloak looked very strange - maybe even funny if I wasn't in that situation... Up till the sleeves it was fine, but after that, it had fallen towards her head, extending down, even beyond her long hair. The cloak's hem was mere inches away from the acid...

Daphne's P.O.V.

'What was I doing, wasting time like that? This is definitely _not_ the best time to start a fight'  
"Daphne, I have an idea"  
"Took you long enough!". 'What's wrong with me? He's just trying to help. Why am I being so ungrateful?'  
"Just listen, will you!" Batman said, clearly annoyed, "I'm going to swing you to that bar, and you'd better grab on to it and pull me up"  
"And how, exactly, do you plan on-" I was harshly cut off as Batman's body painfully crashed with my side.  
"Aww! What was that for!"  
He just swung his body slightly to the left and back smashing into me again. My left side was burning with pain as I vaguely flew to the right.  
Batman kept doing this until I gained enough altitude to be leveled with the rod above us. My ankles twisted painfully against their ropes as my right shoulder slammed against the bar.  
"One more" Batman said as he pushed himself against my sore side once again. This time, I managed to grab onto the bar, but, with my sweaty palms behind my back, it was difficult to hold on.  
_'Come on… come on…'_ I hoisted myself to lay on the bar with all the strength I could muster. The cool bar felt soothing against my back...

I forced myself to sit up. Then I move my hands under me. They were squished under my thighs. I had no idea how much more pain my body could endure, but I knew it wasn't much...  
I took a deep breath and bent myself, so that my nose nearly touched my knees. Then I continued dragging my hands under me, towards my feet… My lower-back was stressed to its limit when my restricted hands finally found their way to under my tied feet. As I slowly undid my shoes from the bar, I wondered why Sanlan used rope instead of cuffs; It was as if he didn't care if we escaped this… I pushed that thought away as soon as my feet were freed, and pulled my hands over them to my mouth.

As I gnawed at the rope, I felt a familiar bitter taste in my mouth … blood. I didn't know if it was from my sore hands or aching gums, and I didn't stop chewing to find out either. I didn't care… I just had to get us out of there, to foil Sanlan and The Assassin's plan. I didn't know exactly what it was they planned on doing, but I had a pretty good idea…

The coarse threads of the rope were now sticking out in every possible direction, making it ever harder, and a lot more painful, to bite at...I stole a glance at Batman; it was but a matter of minutes till the liquid would reach him… I chewed faster, and felt the barbed ends of rope scratch at the insides of my mouth, but there was no time to rest…

Finally, when I was released, I throw the ropes to the side, along with a mouthful of blood… I rushed to batman to untie his feet. That didn't take too long, but even as I held on tightly to his boots, I could feel the exhaustion creeping into my bones – I was in no condition to pull him up.

"You can do it, Daphne" He said encouragingly.

"I… can't"

"Yes, you can, Daphne… Don't give up now"

"I'm… so sorry"

"Your brother says you don't want another victim added on Sanlan's list, do you?"

"No, I -"

Batman's P.O.V.

"Then pull me up. You can do it… ", The acid neared the tips of my hair," Come on Daphne! You can do it!"

She started pulling me up slowly.

"That's it Daphne! Just a little bit more…"

I felt the icy cold rod rub against my legs, through the suit. Wrapping the back of my knees around the bar, I pulled my self up.

"Thanks" I told Daphne

"Sure…" she said weakly, "Only next time, I swing you"

"Heh… Like you can!"

"I can too"

"No you can't"

"Yes, I can"

"No, you-"

"Batman, save the chit-chat for later" Bruce interrupted.

"But I was just about to win!"

"Batman-"

"We should think of a way to get out of here" I told Daphne, not wanting to hear another lecture from Bruce.

"Fine!" She crossed her arms in front of her chest like a five-year-old, "but I can too swing you"

"I don't think so!"

"You don't thinkat all!"

"Really! Well you-"

"Batman, save this for later" Bruce's deep voice rang in my ears.

"Let's get out of here, Daphne" I said, gesturing to the small brown window in the ceiling. After balancing myself properly, I aimed a fist at it.

"STOP!"

"What is it _now_, Daphne?"

"It's a trick! Look the window's cracked from the _outside_, and-"

"So?"

"And that brown stuff is dirt, so-"

"Soooo?"

"Arrrgh! Stop interrupting, will you! The dirt's pressuring the window from the outside. In other words, we're underground, and if you break that window… we'll both be buried alive"

I inspected the window carefully, and, as much as I hate to admit it, found that she was right.

"Any suggestions, Batbrain?" she asked. Her voice held all her worries. I hadn't noticed that before, but behind that emotionless mask and those determined eyes… behind those cynical comments, stood just another victim of crime… Even as she hid behind that brave exterior, I knew for a fact… She was scared.

"Don't worry… You got us into this, but I'll get us out"

"Batman… I need to talk to my brother; Sanlan and The Assassin are planning for something that could threaten all of Gotham's citizens. In case we don't… you know, I want Jake to warn others and try to stop them…"

"I'll get us out of here… Don't worry"

"Batman, please… We don't have much time"

I looked down. The acid level was now only two feet below the bar we were on, and still rising…


End file.
